Silence of the Dead, Voices of the Living

May 14, 2006

May 14, 2006

On Mother’s Day weekend, you are invited to join members and supporters of the American Friends Service Committee, Gold Star Families for Peace, Gold Star Families Speak Out, Iraq Veterans Against the War, Military Families Speak Out, September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, and Veterans for Peace, who will gather for four days of witness in Washington, D.C. (and in sites around the country) to call for an end to the Iraq War. We will mourn for the thousands who have been lost and call for an end to the war that continues to take Iraqi, U.S. and other lives.

Led by many of those who have borne the cost of the war, silent marchers will carry boots representing those who have died and photos of those still in harm’s way — calling on Congress to save lives by stopping the war. Participants will include: veterans; families of the U.S. soldiers who have been killed and wounded; families of those on active duty who remain in harm’s way; families of those who died in the attacks on September 11th in whose name the Iraq War was started, and representatives of the people of Iraq, who have seen more than 100,000 deaths and the destruction of their country.

Eyes Wide Open: The Human Cost of the Iraq War, the American Friends Service Committee’s touring exhibit (www.afsc.org/eyes) that honors the lives lost in Iraq will return to Washington, D.C. for these days of witness, with combat boots representing the deaths of U.S. military personnel, a striking new representation of Iraqi losses, and symbols of the lives that will most certainly be lost before the end of 2006, if the U.S. “stays the course”. The exhibit will provide a dramatic visual backdrop for the words and emotions of those who have lost the most in this conflict and stand to lose more.

Please come and take part in:

the set up and staffing of the Eyes Wide Open exhibit;

a daily reading of names of U.S. service personnel and Iraqis killed in the war;

a silent memorial procession around the Mall;

testimonies from those who have lost loved ones and from those whose loved ones remain in harm’s way;

visits to Congressional representatives to discuss the human cost of the war;

Peaceful Tomorrows receives no money from 9/11 charities or disbursements. We depend entirely on individual and foundation grants to continue our work. More...

Editorial Policy: This website contains information related to the mission and goals of Peaceful Tomorrows and is intended for educational, non-commercial use. We highlight the projects undertaken by our organization, print essays and speeches made by 9/11 family members of our group, and post photo galleries which reflect the activities of our members around the world.

September Eleventh Families for Peaceful Tomorrows is a project of Tides Center.